How To Print Pretend Money

The printing of real currency is illegal in all countries. On the other hand, the printing of pretend money to be used for education, gaming, or events purposes is perfectly legal. The board game “Monopoly” employs pretend money for its game. Carnivals and fairs use pretend money in exchange for real money while inside their grounds. In fact, some people print replicas of real money for certain parties and events to replace the use of real money. This is all perfectly legal for as long as it does not exactly emulate real currency in size, material, and printing style. If you want to print pretend money for an event you are hosting, then there are some things that you should know to make the process easy for you without all the legalities messing up the affair.

Search the Internet. There are many free and paid websites on the Internet that provide template creation services for play or pretend money. Some sites offer full customization to include selected pictures and text. Other sites offer printing play money that is similar to real money. One such website is www.printablefakecash.com. This website lets you download PDF templates for play money. There are templates available for children and templates to emulate existing real currency.

Edit the templates. Once you download all the templates you can find on the site, use Adobe Acrobat Professional to open up the files to edit the templates more. If the template has multiple denominations on it and you only want to print multiple copies of one denomination, edit it as you see fit. If you downloaded a template that looks like real money, make sure to add a text somewhere on it stating that it is only play money.

Print it. Once you finish editing the template save it and go to your printer. Load it up with thick resume paper or cardstock if you want to splurge on your pretend money. Make sure you have enough ink to print the money. Go back to your computer and click on the print function in Adobe Acrobat to initiate the printing process. If your template provides for a double sided play money, make sure to print out the other side as well.

Cut out the money. As soon as you are through with the printing, get a pair of scissors and start cutting the money out. If you have a paper cutter, this might provide a better cutting finish. For more authenticity, get a glue stick and glue the front and back part of the pretend money together. Real money has a front and back side so your play money should have that too. If you printed out coins, then cut them out and glue them onto circular pieces of cardboard to resemble real coins.

Now that you have printed your first copy of your currency, print multiples depending on your needs. You can use these prints to teach kids about money, play a game involving money, or use it as a currency in your event.